fblog•me

Mum came through to visit me in Edinburgh today and we went to the National Museum for afternoon tea.

Gallery

She took me to see her favourite exhibit from the second floor, a giraffe with it's tongue stuck out.

There was a massive model of the museum made out of Lego.

Gallery

There was even a mini version of me & Mum having our afternoon tea.

The Tower Restaurant is at the very top of the museum and the perfect place to sip tea while admiring the city skyline.

Gallery

Our afternoon tea arrived on a cake stand made of slate and it looked amazing.

Mum had admitted feeling a little disappointed when they talked us through the sandwich selection thinking they were just the boring usual ones until she tasted them, when she took it all back.

The cheese and tomato sandwich was dressed with honey and mustard, the egg mayo sandwich was spiced with paprika and the cucumber sandwich had a dill butter which she thought gave each one a new taste sensation.

We then tucked into our scones with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam.

And then it was time for sweets with chocolate choux buns, pistachio macarons, banana & pecan cakes and berry crumbles.

Gallery

The sun had set while we were eating and the castle had lit up the skyline.

I then treated Mum to a trip around the Ice Adventure, a museum filled with ice sculptures of Scotish myths and legends.

Gallery

We made our way into the museum, past a giant ice unicorn and into an indoor forest filled with Christmas trees, fairies and little ice creatures.

Gallery

I loved all the little squirrels and rabbits hiding everywhere.

Gallery

We then turned a corner to find gorgeous kelpies and the Loch Ness Monster.

Gallery

They'd also constructed the Forth Rail Bridge and new Queensferry Crossing out of ice.

Gallery

I spotted a thermometer telling us it was -7 degrees.

We warmed up with a trip to the ice bar where Mum treated me to mulled wine.

Gallery

The final section was dedicated to Scottish legends with Greyfriars Bobby, the Duke of Wellington statue complete with ice traffic cone and Robert the Bruce.

Gallery

I thought this sculpture of Mary Queen of Scots was cutting it a little too close to the bone... hur hur hur.

Gallery

Tom joined us when he finished work and we went for cocktails at Panda & Sons.

Mum was intrigued about where we were taking her when we headed into a barber shop, down the stairs, and through a hidden door disguised as a bookcase.

Gallery

She loved the bar with it's speakeasy feel, unlimited free popcorn and interesting furniture.

Mum ordered the amazing Birdcage cocktail which comes served in a bell jar filled with smoke.

I had the Free As A Curd with vodka, lemon curd, coco real, ginger liqueur and bitters. It came served in a teacup on a book with a piece of shortbread.

Gallery

We then had the Emperors New Clothes, The Fennel Countdown and a Long Island Eclipse.

We popped into the Waldorf Astoria to check out the Christmas decorations because they're always lovely but I was sad to see they didn't have the candy cane house from previous years.

Gallery

I'd won a photography competition with a photo that I'd taken of The Huxley and the prize was cocktails at Heads & Tails, the bar of Edinburgh Gin.

Dad came through to join us and we met him outside the bar.

Gallery

The bar had three little caverns you could sit in, each scented with a different gin botanical, and they told us to pick the one we liked the smell of the most. We ended up picking the Juniper Berry cavern which smelled lovely.

Our prize was for G.I.Y cocktails which you create yourself by picking a glass, description like bitter or floral and a gin. I chose Bloom gin in martini glass with floral, while Mum picked Edinburgh gin in a martini glass with herbal.

Gallery

Our food was delicious and we tucked into grilled cheeses with pickled pineapple and Po Boy's with tempura prawns, guacamole and lime cocktail sauce.